King Charles III says Canada facing unprecedented challenges as Trump threatens annexation

OTTAWA, Ontario -- OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — King Charles III said Canada is facing unprecedented challenges in a world that's never been more dangerous as he opened the Canadian Parliament on Tuesday with a speech widely viewed as a show of support in the face of annexation threats by U.S. President Donald Trump.

Trump’s repeated suggestion that the U.S. annex Canada prompted Prime Minister Mark Carney to invite Charles to give the speech from the throne outlining his government's priorities for the new session of Parliament. The king is the head of state in Canada, which is a member of the Commonwealth of former colonies.

“We must face reality: since the Second World War, our world has never been more dangerous and unstable. Canada is facing challenges that, in our lifetimes, are unprecedented," Charles said in French.

He added that “many Canadians are feeling anxious and worried about the drastically changing world around them."

It's rare for the monarch to deliver what’s called the speech from the throne in Canada. Charles’ mother, Queen Elizabeth II, did it twice before in 1957 and 1977.

Charles, on his 20th visit to Canada, noted that it has been nearly 70 years since his mother first opened Parliament.

"Canada has dramatically changed: repatriating its constitution, achieving full independence, and witnessing immense growth. Canada has embraced its British, French, and Indigenous roots, and become a bold, ambitious, innovative country that is bilingual, truly multicultural,” the monarch said.

He said when his late mother opened a new session of Canadian Parliament in 1957, World War II remained a fresh, painful memory and said the Cold War was intensifying.

"Freedom and democracy were under threat," he said. “Today, Canada faces another critical moment."

The speech isn't written by the king or his U.K. advisers as Charles serves as a nonpartisan head of state. He read what was put before him by Canada’s government, but makes some remarks of his own.

”I have always had the greatest admiration for Canada’s unique identity, which is recognized across the world for bravery and sacrifice in defense of national values, and for the diversity and kindness of Canadians,” he said.

Canadians are largely indifferent to the monarchy, but Carney has been eager to show the differences between Canada and the United States. The king’s visit clearly underscores Canada’s sovereignty, he said.

Carney won the job of prime minister by promising to confront the increased aggression shown by Trump and made his first trip as prime minister to London and Paris, the capital cities of Canada's two founding nations.

Carney is eager to diversify trade, and the king said that Canada can build new alliances. More than 75% of Canada's exports go to the U.S.

The new U.S. ambassador to Canada, Pete Hoekstra, said that sending messages to the U.S. isn’t necessary and Canadians should move on from the 51st state talk, telling the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. that if there’s a message to be sent, there are easier ways to do that, such as calling him or calling the president.

The king said that among the priorities for the government is protection of the French language and Quebec culture, which are at the heart of Canadian identity.

“They define the country that Canadians, and I, love so much. Canada is a country where official and Indigenous languages ​​are respected and celebrated,” he said.

He also said the Canada must protect Quebec's dairy supply management industry. Trump attacked the industry in trade talks.

And he said that the Canadian government will protect Canada’s sovereignty by reinvesting in the Canadian Armed Forces. Trump has complained that Canadas doesn't spend enough on its military.

The king said that Canada would look to the European Union to purchase military equipment by joining the "REARM Europe” plan — a major defence procurement project to ramp up arms production in Europe. The speech made no mention of buying from the U.S.

A horse-drawn carriage tookCharles and Queen Camilla to the Senate of Canada Building for the speech. It was accompanied by 28 horses, 14 before and 14 after. After inspecting a 100-person honor guard and receiving a 21-gun salute, King Charles entered the Senate building as the crowd cheered.

Former Canadian Prime Ministers Justin Trudeau and Stephen Harper were among those in attendance.

The king returned U.K. after the speech and a visit to Canada’s National War Memorial.

Justin Vovk, a Canadian royal historian, said the king’s visit reminds him of when Queen Elizabeth II opened the Parliament in Grenada, a member of the commonwealth, in 1985.

A U.S.-led force invaded the islands in October 1983 without consulting the British government following the killing of Grenada’s Marxist prime minister, Maurice Bishop.